The Grubers: Hello Fall (We Love You Too)

I realize this may be a little confusing based on the my last post, but I think I’ve decided that fall is my favorite season. It is still pretty warm, the nights are cooler, the leaves change into beautiful colors, and the harvest is at its best. We get to keep on eating homemade salsa, fresh peaches, and corn on the cob! Life just doesn’t get any better. We probably ate close to 100 peaches over the length of the season. We just can't help ourselves, they are so addicting! We love the little peach stands. I am always sad to see summer go, but when fall comes along, we are turning the corner to all of the fun holidays! Oh, and who can forget about school shopping….you don’t have to be in school to need the latest styles, layering items, and boots!

Fall is Fabulous!

Sadly we were about a month late to really appreciate the changing leaves up the canyon. Last year they were out-of-this-world beautiful! I don’t remember them being so vibrant in all of my life. This year, Jason and I came to the conclusion that it was just too dry and the colors never reached their peak before dying and falling off. The mountainside never impressed us enough to take the drive. We kept waiting and waiting, and by the time we got around to take a look, we saw some yellows, but mostly browns and bare trees. It was quite a disappointment.

At the beginning of September, we were happy to welcome Grandpa Banks and Uncle Alan to Utah. They came for a visit and stayed with George and Nancy. We did some fun things as a family. We all gathered for Sunday dinner, which is always a treat. On Tuesday night, we all met up at the Utah State Fair. We had a great time checking out all of the animals, eating the fair food, and admiring Nancy’s second place award winning sunflower. Way to go, Nancy! One afternoon, Grandpa Banks, Uncle Alan, and Nancy came to our apartment for visit. Charlie wasn’t sure about things at first, but he finally came around and was a crack-up. One evening the boys took Alan fishing. They were thrilled that Alan caught a fish….and that Max fell in the river….twice! That is one dedicated and cold fisherman! Saturday morning, we had the traditional breakfast up the canyon. Always peaceful and always tasty. Of course, Jason couldn’t resist putting his fishing line in, which brought cheers from the visitors.

Utah State Fair:

Nancy's 2nd Place Sunflower

Fishing:

Alan and his fish

After the breakfast, Jason and I hurried to Draper to make it to Bryan’s first mountain biking race. Bryan is in ninth grade and is attending the brand new high school, Corner Canyon High School. The high school is literally down the street from my parent’s house. Just a five minute walk. Their mascot is a charger. Originally, the mascot was supposed to be a cougar, but they came up with two problems with that: 1) they didn’t want to be affiliated with BYU, and 2) they found it to be offensive to women (or I should say older women). Can you believe that!!? That is just ridiculous! But anyways, they did an awesome job with the school. It looks like an academy. Just really nice with real, quality work. My mom works there now, too. She works in the copy room. Anyways, Bryan joined the mountain biking team. This came as a surprise to me, as he didn’t show any interest in mountain biking until this last year. Mom and Dad hooked him up with a sweet bike and he has been doing really well! It is awesome to see Bryan being a part of a team and doing something athletic. I think it is wonderful! When we pulled up to the race at Corner Canyon Equestrian Center, I was really impressed with all of the high energy there. There were tents set up for each team, food, and music thumping through the speakers. It was really cool and really fun. I was instantly overwhelmed with feelings of pride for my baby brother! I almost got emotional (so weird), just knowing he was a part of something so great! I remember thinking, “Man, Bryan chose the right sport to join! This is way better than the track meets!” Sorry, Kim and Tyson. They were fun and all, but this was way more exciting! We were blessed with great (almost too hot) weather. The forecast said rain, and we could see some mean storm clouds surrounding us. But the whole time we were there, and Bryan was racing, we stayed warm and dry. We had a blast cheering on Bryan and his team. The ringing cow bells added to the excitement. I was really impressed with the terrain that Bryan was racing on. I definitely do not have the skills required to ride on that stuff...but it is certainly something I want to try now. Corner Canyon came in second place. Way to go, Chargers!